The Lake of the Dead

In this classic (originally published in 1942), a young scholar named Werner disappeared while investigating a sensational, century-old murder. Now, a year later, his sister and his friends—a psychologist, an occult specialist, a stage actress, and the narrator, who’s a mystery novelist and private detective—plan a trip to a haunted lake, hoping to find him. Written with an enticing first-person narration directly addressing readers, and with chapter titles such as “In which a madman’s diary is presented,” it is as if Bjerke is daring readers to put the novel down, a herculean task once started. Bjerke’s forgotten classic, with an excellent new translation, allows the creepy setting, menacing tone, and very real danger of the compelling and engaging story to shine in all its 1940s glory for a modern audience.